a. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to elongate medical devices, such as, for example and without limitation, catheters and sheaths or introducers. More particularly, this disclosure relates to deflection mechanisms for such elongate medical devices, and elongate medical devices and components thereof that include such deflection mechanisms.
b. Background Art
It is known to use elongate medical devices, such as, for example, catheters and sheaths or introducers, when performing various therapeutic and/or diagnostic medical procedures on or in various anatomical structures of a patient's body, such as, for example, the heart. Such devices generally include an elongate shaft having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, and a handle assembly disposed at the proximal end portion of the shaft. In order to precisely locate and position these devices within the anatomy of the patient, the devices may include means by which the device may be steered or guided as it travels within and through the patient's body. More particularly, these devices may include, among other components, deflection mechanisms that may be manipulated and controlled by a user or physician to allow for the precise locating and positioning of the device.
In general terms, such deflection mechanisms typically include, at least in part, an actuator and one or more activation wires. The actuator, which is generally associated with the handle assembly of the elongate medical device, is coupled to the activation wires and is configured to cause tension to be selectively applied thereto in order to deflect the shaft of the device in one or more directions. More particularly, each of the activation wires comprises a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal ends of the activation wires are coupled to the actuator, while the distal ends are coupled to one or more pull assemblies disposed at or near the distal end portion of the shaft of the device. As the actuator is manipulated, one or more of the activation wires may be selectively tensioned, thereby effecting movement of the pull assembly, and thus, the deflection of the shaft.
For example, in one conventional deflection mechanism, the actuator thereof comprises one or more posts that are each configured to be coupled to the proximal end of a respective activation wire. For example, in an instance wherein the deflection mechanism comprises a pair of activation wires, the actuator may include a pair of posts, each one of which has a respective one of the activation wires coupled thereto. In such an instance, as the actuator is manipulated to deflect the shaft in a desired direction, a pulling force is applied onto one of the activation wires, thereby causing tension to be applied to that activation wire, while a pushing force is applied to the other of the two activation wires.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.